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| Heifer board members and executive staff gather in Kathmandu, Nepal |
This spring, 12 of the 19 directors took that dedication a giant step further—all the way to Nepal—to see the transformation Heifer provides small-farm families for themselves.
“Being in the field and actually connecting with the people takes our
work from being just work of the mind or brain to work of the heart,”
said longtime board member Charles Stewart. “It connects those two where
we can actually see the impact and results of the work that is being
done by our wonderful staff throughout the world.”
The trip also brought new momentum and perspective to the regular
business meetings, said Don Hammond, board chair, who didn’t make the
trip but shared in the excitement generated from those able to go.
“The board returned from the April meeting in Nepal with a renewed
energy for our work and a deep appreciation of the Heifer development
model,” Hammond said. First-hand observations in the field reinforced
the board’s support of Heifer’s current path to scale up programs to
reach even more people in need, he said.
Arlene Falk Withers, vice chair, said she learned just how vital
Heifer’s training in the 12 Cornerstones of Just and Sustainable
Development was to the small-scale farmers we serve.
“What was most impactful for me is to see that the work is more about
Cornerstones training, which is the foundation for transforming
people’s self-confidence, than it is about the animals which are
critical for financial impact,” she said. “But it’s really the
Cornerstones training that everyone in the villages spoke about being
most meaningful to them.”
President and CEO Pierre Ferrari agreed the experience was invaluable for board members and executive staff on the trip.
“We saw in real time that our values-based model, combined with the
quality production and training to connect to markets, is the way to
scale impact and get far more people out of poverty,” Ferrari said. “We
were also amazed at the incredible work the Nepal staff is doing,
innovating in meaningful ways to connect community development and
market success.”
Read posts from Nepal during the board members’ visit.
